algae prob and cycline

scarpenter · 09/01/2006, 08:21 AM

Thanks for all your help. I was going to add this to the old post but can no longer find it We were trying to figure out if our tank had cycled....3 days ago our readings were .15 nitrite, 20 nitrate and 1 ammonia and were having problems with brown algae.....yesterday 1 added 15 more snails and an urchin..algae is almost gone readings were about the same with nitrate being aroun 40....now 12 hours later.....

0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, and .5 ammonia and ph jumped from 8.0 to 8.4........so what do you guys think?

ERICN · 09/01/2006, 08:41 AM

Patience Patience Patience

I would not put as fish in there until readings are all stable for a good week or so

lt34 · 09/01/2006, 08:45 AM

I'm sure more people with better knowledge can help more. What I was told was to test your water at the same time each day after the lights have been on a couple of hours. Your ph will increase with the lights on vs. first thing in the morning when your lights have been off. Sounds like your nearing the end of cycling. I would still wait a couple of weeks before any fish and keep testing to make sure its stablized. The ammonia could be at .5 due to the addition of the snails and Urchin. Lets see what the others think.

scarpenter · 09/01/2006, 08:46 AM

Fish have been in there for nearly 3 weeks. I have always been told it will never completely cycle without fish. They are doing great. They have never stopped eating. We have 70 pounds of cured LR that was in there for 2 weeks before adding the fish. We thought it had cycled.....so what is the deal? Nitrites and ammonia were both up in the danger aread and the nitrates climbed to 50 before we did a water change and now weeks later the only thing staying up is the ammo?

lt34 · 09/01/2006, 09:01 AM

The ammonia is what is hard on the fish. What fish do you have in there and how many? A lot of lfs have you cycle with Damsels and its 1 per 10 gallons. The other problem is unless you plan on keeping an aggressive tank with Damsels, you need to take all the lr out to catch them. I had to take all 110lbs of rock out.

lt34 · 09/01/2006, 09:03 AM

Also for a 110, I would get more lr. Better filtration. Go for 1lb per gallon minimum. If you have 70lbs of lr, use some base rock to save money if you want.

scarpenter · 09/01/2006, 09:23 AM

A new store is opening and they have awesome fiji lir for $4 a pound but they are out. we are waiting for more. We got all kinds of electric green mushrooms and button polyps on the rock we bought. We have really good filtration. It is supposed to filter a tank up to 2x our vol..we are currently setting upa refugium. As for our fish........we have 2 talbot damsels, a yellow ( who we got by accident but is the shyest in the tank), 2 sapphires, 3 limbaughi chromis, and 4 ocelarris clowns....want to add pj cardinals, sandsifter goby, algae blenny, regals, a lg yellow tang, and a flame angel.

09/01/2006, 08:21 AM	#1
scarpenter Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Tupelo, MS Posts: 436	algae prob and cycline Thanks for all your help. I was going to add this to the old post but can no longer find it We were trying to figure out if our tank had cycled....3 days ago our readings were .15 nitrite, 20 nitrate and 1 ammonia and were having problems with brown algae.....yesterday 1 added 15 more snails and an urchin..algae is almost gone readings were about the same with nitrate being aroun 40....now 12 hours later..... 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, and .5 ammonia and ph jumped from 8.0 to 8.4........so what do you guys think?

09/01/2006, 08:45 AM	#3
lt34 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Port, Florida Posts: 217	I'm sure more people with better knowledge can help more. What I was told was to test your water at the same time each day after the lights have been on a couple of hours. Your ph will increase with the lights on vs. first thing in the morning when your lights have been off. Sounds like your nearing the end of cycling. I would still wait a couple of weeks before any fish and keep testing to make sure its stablized. The ammonia could be at .5 due to the addition of the snails and Urchin. Lets see what the others think. __________________ Barry Never Forget 9/11, Support our Troops. "FDNY 343" "I promise to mow the lawn if I can get that Coral". Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon Reef, 2-150watt HQI MH, 260 watt PC Atinics, 9.5mag in sump, Seio 1100 ph, 110lbs lr, 100lbs ls, Coralife superskimmer 125

09/01/2006, 09:01 AM	#5
lt34 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Port, Florida Posts: 217	The ammonia is what is hard on the fish. What fish do you have in there and how many? A lot of lfs have you cycle with Damsels and its 1 per 10 gallons. The other problem is unless you plan on keeping an aggressive tank with Damsels, you need to take all the lr out to catch them. I had to take all 110lbs of rock out. __________________ Barry Never Forget 9/11, Support our Troops. "FDNY 343" "I promise to mow the lawn if I can get that Coral". Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon Reef, 2-150watt HQI MH, 260 watt PC Atinics, 9.5mag in sump, Seio 1100 ph, 110lbs lr, 100lbs ls, Coralife superskimmer 125

09/01/2006, 09:03 AM	#6
lt34 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Port, Florida Posts: 217	Also for a 110, I would get more lr. Better filtration. Go for 1lb per gallon minimum. If you have 70lbs of lr, use some base rock to save money if you want. __________________ Barry Never Forget 9/11, Support our Troops. "FDNY 343" "I promise to mow the lawn if I can get that Coral". Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon Reef, 2-150watt HQI MH, 260 watt PC Atinics, 9.5mag in sump, Seio 1100 ph, 110lbs lr, 100lbs ls, Coralife superskimmer 125

09/01/2006, 08:41 AM	#2
ERICN Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: MISSOURI Posts: 310	Patience Patience Patience I would not put as fish in there until readings are all stable for a good week or so

09/01/2006, 08:46 AM	#4
scarpenter Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Tupelo, MS Posts: 436	Fish have been in there for nearly 3 weeks. I have always been told it will never completely cycle without fish. They are doing great. They have never stopped eating. We have 70 pounds of cured LR that was in there for 2 weeks before adding the fish. We thought it had cycled.....so what is the deal? Nitrites and ammonia were both up in the danger aread and the nitrates climbed to 50 before we did a water change and now weeks later the only thing staying up is the ammo?

09/01/2006, 09:23 AM	#7
scarpenter Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Tupelo, MS Posts: 436	A new store is opening and they have awesome fiji lir for $4 a pound but they are out. we are waiting for more. We got all kinds of electric green mushrooms and button polyps on the rock we bought. We have really good filtration. It is supposed to filter a tank up to 2x our vol..we are currently setting upa refugium. As for our fish........we have 2 talbot damsels, a yellow ( who we got by accident but is the shyest in the tank), 2 sapphires, 3 limbaughi chromis, and 4 ocelarris clowns....want to add pj cardinals, sandsifter goby, algae blenny, regals, a lg yellow tang, and a flame angel.